Chef Samuelsson Signs Off

Marcus Samuelsson, chef-owner of the Red Rooster in New York City, was the fifth Super Chef eliminated. He made it to the competition's halfway point, but was beaten out by Chef Falkner in the first NYC Secret Ingredient Showdown.

Notes to Remember

The Super Chefs were all given red journals to use for challenge-planning and reflection. On the first page of his, Chef Samuelsson jotted down the cooking temperatures for various proteins — always good information to keep in mind.

Day One

In the very first Chairman's Challenge, Chef Samuelsson was paired with Chef Spike to cook in the wilderness. Chef Spike had his pick of teammates and chose Chef Samuelsson because he wanted to keep his "toughest competition close."

Skinny Ribs

Chef Samuelsson and Chef Spike were criticized for serving these ribs, which judge Judy Joo deemed "anorexic." Their team landed in the bottom and the two chefs had to face each other in the first Secret Ingredient Showdown.

In the Zone

"You never try to do a duo, because then they're going to be judging you against you," explained Chef Chiarello. Chef Samuelsson went for it despite these warnings and felt confident about his two dishes.

Overachieving Once Again

The chefs were challenged to make two dishes at the ballpark; Chef Samuelsson presented four. "I think at some stage in the competition, this overdoing it is going to come back and bite you in the backside," said Simon Majumdar.

Dish Plan

Here, Chef Samuelsson wrote out the components of his four dishes and sketched how he would plate them. Fortunately for him, the judges enjoyed his food so much that they didn't put him in the bottom for overreaching.

Improvisation

The next challenge brought the chefs to a comedy club, where the audience determined what they'd cook with: octopus, kumquats, tortillas and marshmallows. Chef Samuelsson brainstormed in his journal to try to come up with a cohesive dish.

Finding Inspiration

"This is my chance to cook and tell a story about my life a little bit. Marshmallows actually come from Africa, and we do a lot of pickling in Sweden," said Chef Samuelsson. He decided to pickle the octopus with kumquats.

On Broadway

Next stop for the remaining six chefs: NYC. Each was assigned an iconic New York location to use as inspiration for a dish and corresponding story. Chef Samuelsson drew the card for Broadway and sketched out ideas in his journal.

Broadway on a Plate

Chef Samuelsson cooked Hot Smoked Salmon With Crunchy Steak Pickle Salad, Apple Horseradish Puree and Bacon-Peanut Reduction. The judges felt that there was too much going on on the plate and "never really got what your story was about," said Alton Brown. He ended up in the dreaded bottom two.

Bagel Notes

Chef Samuelsson played off of the iconic New York combo of bagels and lox. Drawing from his Swedish upbringing, he cured his own smoked salmon. "I cooked myself into this situation, but I'm going to cook myself out of it," he said.

Chef Samuelsson's Farewell

In the end, it was Chef Falkner who survived to cook another day. "It's so humbling and nerve-wracking at the same time," said a gracious Chef Samuelsson. "No regrets. I've enjoyed the camaraderie more than anything."